Apparatus for color-coding an elongated article



April 6, 1965 H. L. WOELLNER 3, ,6 0

APPARATUS FOR COLOR-CODING AN ELONGATED ARTICLE Filed Aug. 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. H L. WOEL LIVER ATTORNEY April 6, 1965 H. L. WOELLNER 3, ,5

APPARATUS FOR COLOR-CODING AN ELONGATED ARTICLE Filed Aug. 9, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 x Q INVENTOR.

0, H. L. WOELLNER BY 8 w i ATTORNEY United States Patent O "ice 3,176,650 APPARATUS FOR COLOR-CODING AN ELONGATED ARTICLE Horst L. Woellner, Colden, N.Y., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 9, 1962, Ser. No. 215,950 3 Claims. (Cl. 118-314) This invention relates to a color-coding apparatus and particularly to apparatus for making colored markings on insulated wire for the purpose of identification.

In the color coding of insulated wire, difficulty is encountered in controlling the shape and opacity of colored markings on the insulated wire. In the prior art, two liquid color-spraying wheels, having spaced apertures along the circumference thereof, were rotated about axes which were parallel to the direction of travel of insulated wire which is to be coded. One wheel was positioned on one side of the wire and the second wheel was positioned on the opposite side of the wire. Therefore, each side of the Wire Was coded with colored markings forming discrete bands about the wire. As the insulated wire was advanced, the wheels rotated, spraying 'a coloring liquid on the insulated wire at an angle of 90 to the wire, thereby coding the insulated wire with discrete bands of coloring liquid. Difliculty, however, was experienced where it was desirable or necessary to advance the insulated wire at a high rate of speed. As the coloring liquid was sprayed on the wire at an angle of 90, the coloring liquid would be accelerated instantaneously up to wire speed, thereby causing high impact at high wire speeds. Therefore, the coloring liquid would bounce back off of the wire causing poor opacity. Further, the bands of coloring liquid tended to be elongated and to have erratic trailing edges whereby the opacity and general quality of the colored markings were greatly impaired.

It is, therefore, a prime object of this invention to provide facilities for accurately controlling the shape and opacity of color-coding bands on an insulated wire.

Another object of this invention is to provide two liquid color-spraying wheels which are canted relative to each other so as to permit advancement of insulated wire through the color-coding apparatus at a high rate of speed while still producing sharply defined color-coding bands on the insulated wire.

Research conducted in an endeavor to develop facilities and instrumentalities for color coding insulated wire traveling at a high rate of speed resulted in a new and improved apparatus utilizing two liquid color-spraying wheels which were canted relative to the insulated wire to be coded. It was found that the shape and opacity of colored markings could be controlled by c-anting the wheels so that a sharply defined band of improved opacity was produced even though the wire was advanced at a high rate of speed.

With these and other objects in view, the present invention contemplates a color-coding apparatus having two wheels for spraying a coloring liquid on an insulated wire as the wire advances through the color-coding apparatus. One of the liquid color-spraying wheels is placed on one side of the insulated wire and the other liquid color-spraying wheel is placed on the opposite side of the insulated wire. The axes about which the wheels rotate are placed at an angle to each other so as to cant the wheels relative to the wire. As the insulated wire is advanced through the apparatus, the wheels spray the insulated wire with sharply defined bands of coloring liquid having a high degree of opacity.

Other objects, advantages and novel features will be- 3,176,650 Fatented Apr. 6, 1965 come apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side plan view of the apparatus embodying the principal features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of FIG. 1 having the housing partly cut away for greater clarity, and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of FIG. 2.

Attention is now directed to the drawings wherein is disclosed a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Wheels 1t and 11 are cant-ed relative to wire 42 at an angle 0 and are mounted on shafts 12 and 13, respectively, as will be noted in FIG. 2. As seen in FIG. 3, wheels 10 and 11 are provided with a plurality of radial passageways 39 which end in cylindrical apertures 38 in wheel flange 50. A screw 48 is provided to retain wheels 10 and -11 to shafts 12 and 13. screw 48 has a cylindrical bore 47 ending in a plurality of apertures 45. Wheels 10 and 11 have an interior chamber 43 which is open to passageways 39. The chambers 43 are fed with coloring liquid from cylindrical bore 47 by passageways 39 communicating with apertures 45. Shafts 12 .and 13 have concentric bores 16 and 20, respectively, which are connected to cylindrical bore 47 of screw 48 by fitting 49.

A housing, shown generally by 28, contains a member 40. The member 40 is provided with bearings for retaining shafts 12 and 13 at an angle relative to each other.' Shaft 12 is driven by motor 26 through a belt drive 27. The shaft .12 carries thereon a helical gear 14, which-meshes with a helical gear 15 mounted on shaft 13 so as to drive shaft 13.

Fittings 19 and 21 are provided for supplying the coloring liquid 24 from a pump 34 to the cylindrical bores 16 and 20 of shafts 12 and 13. Pump 34 delivers coloring liquid 24 to a constant pressurevalve 33 by means of line 31. The coloring liquid then flows to the fitting 21 through line 22 and to fitting 19 through =line 32. Fitting 21 is provided so as to permit line 22 to be connected to the shaft 13 whereby .coloring liquid may be introduced into cylindrical bore 20 of shaft 13. Fitting 19 is provided with an interior chamber 18 within which chamber 18 a plurality of apertures 17 rotate. Apertures 17 permit coloring liquid to enter bore 16 of shaft 12. Therefore, coloring liquid is delivered under constant pressure to the wheels 10 and 11 from pump 34. As the wheels rotate, centrifugal force, acting with the constant pressure from pump 34, will spray the coloring liquid through the cylindrical aperture 38.

A drain 25 is provided whereby any excess coloring liquid 24 present in the housing 28 due to leakage from the fittings or spray from the wheels may be drained back into a reservoir 35. Overflow drain 23 is provided in order to facilitate the emptying of housing 28. Drain 25 empties into reservoir 35 through outlet 37 and overflow drain 23 empties into reservoir 35 through outlet 36. Pump 34 is fed from reservoir 35 through line 41.

Theory of operation In the prior art where the insulated wire was sprayed by the coloring liquid at a angle to the wire, the color-coded bands produced were sufliciently sharp and opaque when applied at the relatively slow Wire speeds utilized at the time. However, when the wire traveled at a velocity above 2250 feet per minute, the color-coded bands produced were ragged and lacked suificient opacity. The reason for such irregularity in the color-coded band was that the coloring liquid would be accelerated instan- The taneously to wire speed. High impact due to such acceleration of the coloring liquid on the wire caused the ink to bounce back and left holes on the surface of the color-coded bands. Further, high wire speeds resulted in elongated bands having erratic trailing edges which further reduced opacity. In order to give the colorcoding liquid a velocity component in the direction of Wire movement approaching that of the wire, it was found to be necessary to cant the wheels relative to the wire.

Line A of FIG. 2 is perpendicular to insulated wire 41 and bisects the angle between shafts 12 and 13 of wheels and 11; Each wheel is, therefore, canted relative to the wire at an angle 0. It was found that if 0 was chosen according to the relationship:

wheel flange speed colored markings were produced which overcame the deficiencies of the prior art. Therefore, the wire speed could be increased above 2250 feet per minute without appreciable loss of opacity or irregularity of shape in the colored markings. It should be noted that the wheel flange speed is an inverse function of the number of apertures in the wheel. Therefore, the wheel flange speed may be decreased by increasing the number of apertures in the flange. Further, where the speed of the wire is to be varied during the coding operation, facilities may be provided for varying the angle 0 in order to rant the wheels at the proper angle for each different wire speed.

In operation Coloring liquid will be delivered to pump 34 from reservoir 35. The coloring liquid will be pumped to constant pressure valve 33 and from there will be delivered to fittings 19 and 21 by lines 32 and 22, respectively. Coloring liquid Will travel from fittings 19 and 21 through cylindrical bores 16 and to the Wheels 10 and 11. The coloring liquid is delivered to wheels 10 and 11 under constant pressure and will be sprayed from wheels 10 and 11 by the constant pressure and by centrifugal force whereby the coloring liquid .will be forced through the passageway 39 and through the cylindrical apertures 38. Shaft 12 will be driven by motor 26 through belt drive 27. Shaft 13 will be driven by shaft 12 through helical gears 14 and 15. Excess coloring liquid will be returned to reservoir 35 through the drains 23 and 25.

Wheel 10 is placed on one side of the insulated wire 42 and wheel 11 is placed on the opposite side of the insulated wire 42. Wire 42 travels along a predeter mined path in the direction of the arrows, as shown in FIG. 1. The number of apentures in the wheel, the spacing of the apertures along the circumference of the wheel, the Wheel flange speed, the angle 0, the speed of travel of the wire and the distance between the two wheels are all chosen so that the colored markings placed on one side of the insulated wire 42 by wheel 10 will be matched by the colored markings placed on the opposite side of wire 42 by wheel 11, thereby forming discrete colored bands 51 on the insulated wire. In order to give the coloring liquid sprayed from the wheels a velocity component lying in the direction of travel of the Wire, wheel 10 will be rotated in a clockwise direction and wheel 11 will rotate in a counterclockwise direction.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangemerits of apparatus and construction of elemental parts are simply illustrative of an application of the principles of the invention and many other modifications may be made without departing from the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for color coding an elongated article having a longitudinal axis, the article being driven for movement in an axial direction, the apparatus comprising:

first and second liquid color-applying wheels, each wheel having an axis of rotation and a plane of rotation perpendicular to said axis, each wheel including a peripheral rim with fluid-egress apertures formed therein for allowing the radial egress of liquid from inside the Wheels,

means for rotatably mounting each wheel with the periphery thereof adjacent the longitudinal axis of the article and for positioning eacih wheel on opposite sides of the article,

each wheel having the plane of rotation thereof inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the article such that the planes of rotation of said wheels form respective equal but opposite acute angles with said longitudinal axis, and

means rotating said first and second wheels in opposite relative directions so that the color spray is at least partially directed by centrifugal force against opposite sides of the article with a velocity component in the direction of anticle movement.

2. The apparatus a claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said wheels and apertures are constructed and arranged relative to one another such that the color markings applied by liquid issuing from said one wheel to the 'moving article are matched to color markings applied by liquid issuing from said second wheel so that discrete color bands are produced on the article.

3. The apparatu as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

means are provided for receiving and returning excess coloring liquid to said wheels.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,794,751 6/57 Juvinall 1 18-626 X 2,865,323 12/58 Hoff 118-314 2,865,324 12/58 Stein ll8626 2,878,143 3/59 Juvinall ll8626 X 2,989,943 6/61 Fitzgerald et a1. ll83 14 3,001,890 9/61 Sedlacsik ll8626 X RICHARD D. NEVIUS, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR COLOR CODING AN ELONGATED ARTICLE HAVING A LONGITUDINAL AXIS, THE ARTICLE BEING DRIVEN FOR MOVEMENT IN AN AXIAL DIRECTION, THE APPARATUS COMPRISING: FIRST AND SECOND LIQUID COLOR-APPLYING WHEELS, EACH WHEEL AND HAVING AN AXIS OF ROTATION AND A PLANE OF ROTATION PERPENDICULAR TO SAID AXIS, EACH WHEEL INCLUDING A PERIPHERAL RIM WITH FLUID-EGRESS APERTURES FORMED THEREIN FOR ALLOWING THE RADIAL EGRESS OF LIQUID FROM INSIDE THE WHEELS, MEANS FOR ROTATABLY MOUNTING EACH WHEEL WITH THE PERIPHERY THEREOF ADJACENT THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE ARTICLE AND FOR POSITIONING EACH WHEEL ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE ARTICLE, EACH WHEEL HAVING THE PLANE OF ROTATION THEREOF INCLINED RELATIVE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE ARTICLE SUCH THAT THE PLANES OF ROTATION OF SAID WHEELS FORM RESPECTIVE EQUAL BUT OPPOSITE ACUTE ANGLES WITH SAID LONGITUDINAL AXIS, AND MEANS ROTATING SAID FIRST AND SECOND WHEELS IN OPPOSITE RELATIVE DIRECTIONS SO THAT THE COLOR SPRAY IS AT LEAST PARTIALLY DIRECTED BY CENTRIFUGAL FORCE AGAINST OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE ARTICLE WITH A VELOCITY COMPONENT IN THE DIRECTION OF ARTICLE MOVEMENT. 